Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Today, I'm thankful...

...for my health! Will and I just watched Biggest Loser and while I really enjoy the competition aspect of the show I think what is most striking to me is watching people begin to believe in themselves again (or sometimes for the first time ever!) People let themselves get so downtrodden and beat down by life that they just stop caring for themselves. In a sense, they stop living. I know what it's like. I've been there. You see, after Cooper was born I found myself terribly overweight with debilitating post-partum depression. Coleman was handed an autism diagnosis at right around the same time and I was lost. I was plagued by nightmares every night and I knew that something had to change. The stress was getting to be more than I could bear. Here's a pic of my mom and I around that time (Nov. 2005.)

Oh man. I honestly remember that day so clearly. I wore a girdle under that sweater just trying to suck it all in. Wow. Anyway, I finally decided to start caring for myself so that I could care for my kids the way they needed to be cared for. We bought a treadmill and I started running. It became my stress release. The nightmares went away. My confidence came back. Even the autism didn't seem quite so scary!

Today, I'm still running at least 3-4 times a week. I don't run to get skinny. It's certainly not about fitting into a size 2. I run to survive another day. Well, that's a bit melodramatic but you get the point. I run to keep my mind clear, my body healthy and what I huge difference it's made in my quality of life. So, I can't help but feel blessed and thankful for my health this Thanksgiving. Who knows where I would be if I hadn't decided to start caring for myself a little.

7 comments:

Nona
said...

Wow! You sure look different now than you did then, Alicia! You are doing great. And thanks for the reminder of how I looked, too! :(I think I had an extra 20 or 30 pounds over what I have now...or is that how I look now? I can't remember? Hmm...mental health. I would be thankful for that! LOL

What an inspiring post! I just started exercising regularly within the past few months and the feeling is wonderful! You've done such a great job, not only for yourself but also for your beautiful family!

You are my hero in this regard. I wish I could be more like you and start taking my health more seriously- both physical and mental. You look so great and I am jealous. I am where you were. Great job Lish. (Can you really fit into a size 2?)